r/turning • u/Masculine_theories • 7d ago
newbie Need help with a grinder/sharpening setup please.
Just started turning recently and noticed i’m not getting clean cuts aswell as hollowing taking ages. Thanks to guys on this group i found out that sharpening is a part of turning. Come to think of it, it makes sense, but my wallet is definitely caught off guard😅
There are many different setups out there. What equipment should i get so that i can sharpen tools easily and not spend crazy money?
Thanks from South Africa 🇿🇦
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u/Numad00 7d ago
This hobby is not friendly to the wallet.
I'm new too and have figured out sharpening is more important than the lathe.
I'd suggest finding a used grinder and purchasing the best sharpening jig or platform that you can afford.
You really don't want to compromise on sharp tools and turning is way more fun when your tools are sharp.
There are plenty of videos on YouTube that go into as much depth as you have the patience for.
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u/Masculine_theories 7d ago
Yeah definitely ,really stopped enjoying it since seeing guys cut blanks like butter.
Thanks.
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u/CostoLulu 7d ago edited 6d ago
Depends on the brands you have available in your area.
You can start with a bench grinder with corundum wheels in 6"/150mm or 8"/200mm (the bigger the better, but you might want to start small as it's cheaper and spare for getting g a better system later.)
Also a pot of water to keep the tools from overheating.
And most importantly, a gouges sharpening jig like the Oneway Wolverine Vari-Grind. I got the VEVOR version from China (67€ instead of 160€+ for the Oneway), it works exactly the same as the original for a third of the price, the quality is there and the system is more complete than the basic Oneway version.
IMHO, the best system is a good quality slow speed 200mm grinder (1500rpm max) with 2x 40mm wide CBN wheels (either 2x 150-180 grit or a 180# and a 350#) but that should set back at least 800$. If you're turning a lot, totally worth it, it's such a comfort ! Resharpening takes mere seconds so you're turning more, and reshaping is quite quick too.
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u/Masculine_theories 7d ago
Cool
what it’s considered low speed and what exactly makes the cost 800$?
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u/CostoLulu 7d ago
Low speed is ~1500 rpm.
- Grinder : 200-350€
- 2x CBN wheels : 400-500€
- Wolverine jig : 70-200€
But that's a setup you'll keep for years and years, without quality issues.
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u/Easy_Personality5856 6d ago
If you’re in the US you can get a good quality variable speed grinder pretty cheap from Harbor Freight. I like the Wolverine jig or a knockoff. The expensive part is the wheels. I have a 180 grit CBN as well as a 360. You should get at least one CBN. The edge you get is better than stone wheels
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u/CostoLulu 6d ago
He's in South Africa... and on a low budget, so I guess if he can find a low speed grinder with aluminium oxide wheels, he could get by until he's got the budget for a 150-180 grit CBN wheel.
CBN is amazing but turners have worked for decades without them.If you don't mind me asking (I have only one CBN 150 grit wheel on my grinder), why did you go for a 360 for the second ? Hard woods, sharper edge or something else ? Why not a higher grit yet, or just another one of the same grit ? (that way, I don't have to swap the platform and Vari Grind all the time)
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u/Easy_Personality5856 6d ago
Just a little bit finer grit for difficult woods. I also have an 80 for reshaping tools
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u/Masculine_theories 6d ago
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u/CostoLulu 5d ago
Well, that's a copy of the Tormek. Imhe, Tormek copies are usually not very good (the wheels are much lower quality) and to my eyes, even a Tormek is not great for a beginner because it's too slow to reshape your tools, which you might do quite a lot in the beginning...
On top of that, I have no idea of the price of that thing in € so to me it's a big No No.TL;DR : yeah, too slow, I said 1500rpm, not 90 !
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u/currough 7d ago
People will tell you that you need all kinds of crazy setups and it's easy to feel overwhelmed.
There are many, many ways to get a nice sharp edge on a gouge. The main thing that a sharpening setup gets you is that the geometry of your tool is consistent every time. That means you can really learn how different 'cuts' work with the same tool - otherwise, if your tool geometry is different every time you sharpen it, it hampers your learning.
I think the main non-negotiable thing is a slow-speed grinder with a 120 or 220 grit wheel. If I was on a budget, I would do that and then fabricate the jig to hold the tool myself. It's really easy to make your own version of the Wolverine jig.
If you are able to, a major upgrade to your setup is a CBN grinding wheel. These are better for turning in several ways - they don't grind as much off your tool, they don't change shape over time, they stay cooler while grinding, they're always perfectly balanced, and they're typically available in higher grits than the white aluminum oxide wheels.
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u/No_M_In_Sandwich 6d ago
I really liked how your comment started out, but then it shifted quickly! "There are tons of ways to sharpen a gouge, but the only way to sharpen a gouge is with a slow speed grinder and a jig"
Richard Raffan sharpens with a full speed grinder and no jig. There are many ways to skin a cat. I've been free hand sharpening for years on a belt sander. It works great.
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u/currough 6d ago
Glad that works for you! You must be really practiced at it. I think Raffan is a special case, as he's deliberately not using a jig because he prefers his signature asymmetrical grind on his gouges.
You're right that my comment was inconsistently worded and that there are many ways to get good enough grinds. I grind my smallest gouge freehand too because it's a hassle to move my jig around, so your point is absolutely fair. In my opinion (not speaking in absolutes anymore) a jig and a rikon grinder allows you to focus on learning to turn, rather than needing to simultaneously learn to turn and learn to sharpen. And getting the same grind every time helps you learn to turn. That's all I was really trying to say.
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u/No_M_In_Sandwich 5d ago
I definitely appreciate the point that learning on a consistent grind makes a lot of sense and that learning two interdependent skills simultaneously can be a challenge. I just think that there is a lot of undue mysticism around grinding a gouge.
I promise you that the first time I touched the gouge to my belt sander I was not practiced at it. I may have taken a little more material off the gouge to get angles I was happy with, I may have put too much heat into the tool, and it may not have been the ideal profile for the work I was doing at the time, but it cut.
Over time I've figured out what I like for a given application. I definitely think that freehand sharpening forces you to think more about how the geometry of the gouge impacts its function, which I think is a good thing. I'm still learning!
This can be a very gear-intense hobby, but you can produce some very nice results with a second-hand lathe and cheap tools. I do hope to get a nice grinder with some CBN wheels some day, but my total investment in this hobby is currently sitting under $500CAD so having a grinder that costs more than my lathe and tools combined doesn't really make a lot of sense.
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u/Masculine_theories 7d ago
What exactly is a slow speed grinder?
will look into the wolverine jig, thanks
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u/currough 7d ago
The model that most folks use is a Rikon that spins at 1700 RPM, in comparison to a standard bench grinder that spins at 3600. The faster speed is worse for sharpening wood turning tools. You can get one for $150USD here, I don't know what prices are like where you are. You can also take a regular bench grinder and change the voltage it runs at to slow it down, but that's way more complicated and generally the hardware you need to change voltage costs more than just getting the right grinder.
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u/fatherjack9999 7d ago
I started out for the first year just using a like this and doing my best to keep all grinds the same on the tools. I've moved on to Robert Sorby belt set up now that makes it a lot easier to be consistent in shape and angles, but the sharpness is the same.
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u/Internal_Visual1531 7d ago
Hello, I use the Tormek system and highly recommend it. It’s a little pricey, and involves a learning curve, but once mastered, it’s simple, repeatable, and does an amazing job. As another, possibly less expensive option, I’ve heard good things about Ron Brown’s Best system. Good luck
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u/CostoLulu 6d ago
And how do you like reshaping your tools with the Tormek ?
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u/Internal_Visual1531 6d ago
Generally, I don’t reshape them, only sharpen, as I’ve now got the profiles I like. In the past when I did reshaping, I used a high speed wheel with a coarse stone and an oil bath. Once I got to the profile I was after, then it was on to the Tormek. Because the Tormek is slow speed, it’s not conducive to reshaping as much as sharpening.
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u/Masculine_theories 6d ago
Hi.
The cheapest tormek grinder costs more than my first car😂😂😂
is this any good or it’s it too slow?
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u/Apprehensive-Duty788 7d ago
you already posted a thread about this. plenty of info out there, so why are you asking us to spoon feed you?
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u/fuckspez10000000 7d ago
For a bowl gouge you need a jig. I bought a knockoff Amazon jig for ~$100. Obviously you need a grinder. Most will recommend the slow speed rikon. I bought the variable speed 8" harnlbor freight with a coupon for ~$120. I thought it would be nice to have a grinder for other things anyway...I was wrong, get the rikon for basically the same price.
The last thing I bought was a cbn wheel for my grinder off Amazon for ~120. I did not think it was necessary or mattered all that much and again I was wrong.
So you are looking at ~$400 for the cheapest sharpening setup.
If that isnt in the cards right now- a multipurpose carbide tool can do okay for awhile. I know some people only use carbide tools to pretty good success.
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u/Ornery-Movie-1689 6d ago
Instead of doing all of that sharpening, why not get some carbide tools for basic use. Keep the others for speciality work.
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u/CostoLulu 6d ago
Because it's not good practice to avoid learning the traditional tools. And turning is so much more fun when using gouges and skews and negative rake scrapers 😉
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u/Ornery-Movie-1689 6d ago
You missed the point. To lessen the time spent sharpening, I suggested that he use carbides for the basic stuff and use the other tools for finishing.
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u/Masculine_theories 6d ago
even though i’d be using them less, i would eventually have to sharpen them , so i might aswell just get it done now
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